


It's Like I Never Made A Sound

by atomicpixiedust



Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Angst, Cryptid Hunting, Injury, M/M, smallmarch if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 00:29:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17032833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atomicpixiedust/pseuds/atomicpixiedust
Summary: Robert goes looking for a werewolf.





	It's Like I Never Made A Sound

**Author's Note:**

  * For [delina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/delina/gifts).



A usual Saturday at Jim and Kim’s these days: Mary with one hand on her wine glass and the other on her new catch, squirming uncomfortably in her grasp, and Robert and Damien sitting at the bar talking like a pair of old friends despite only meeting a few months ago.

 

It had been Mary’s suggestion, the two of them spending more time together, and it was a welcome new distraction for Robert. While he had learned to embrace silence, he couldn’t help but talk to Damien about the macabre, the horrific, and everything in between. 

 

Though, he wasn’t really the one doing the talking most of the time. He could ask Damien about any weird old Victorian practice and the guy would just go off. All he had to do was ask the right prodding question at the right time. Sometimes he learned things, but sometimes, like tonight, he would drown out the vast majority of what Damien was saying just to think.

 

An asshole-ish move maybe, but Damien didn’t seem to mind that much. He, like Mary, was one of the only people who would let him figure his shit out on his own without getting super fucking condescending or start talking to him like he was a goddamn child.

 

But tonight something other than his personal demons was pulling his attention away.

 

“There’s something off about that guy.” Robert narrowed his eyes at the stranger who had taken a seat at the opposite end of the bar.

 

“Is there?” Damien tucked his hair behind his ear, taking the opportunity to nonchalantly glance behind him. “There is a certain lupine quality to him. Though, I suppose one could say that about you as well.”

 

“You saying I’m hairy?”

 

“Oh, no. He’s the hairy one. I believe ‘scruffy’ is the right term in your case.”

 

“Thanks.” Robert took a sip of his whiskey before he could crack up at the comment.

 

“I mean no offense.” Damien smirked into his glass, and took a drink as well. “Have I hit the proverbial nail on the head, or was there something else ‘off’ to you?”

 

“No you got it. Pretty sure that guy’s a werewolf.”

 

“A likely deduction.” Damien said, eyes glinting. He knew this game of Robert’s very well. “And what exactly does that mean for you?”

 

“Probably should run some surveillance on--”

 

Suddenly, right as he caught Robert’s eye, the stranger stood and picked his way quickly to the door. No one else in the bar seemed to pay him much attention. As he got to the door, Robert was on his feet, following him out.

 

“Robert, where are you going?” This had turned from a joke to reality a little too quick for him.

 

“Gonna go catch myself a werewolf.”

 

Before he could make it out the door, Damien caught his arm. “Be careful, Robert, and while I do prefer written word, I’ll be waiting for a call from you when you do get home.”

 

“Noted.”

 

Mary quirked an eyebrow at him as he went out the door, and he shrugged. No time to stay and talk. He was already losing precious seconds.

 

By the time he made it outside the man was gone. Shit.

 

The moon was full... the forest. He had to be going to the forest. Where else was a werewolf going to hunt in peace?

 

Robert did a quick evaluation of the supplies in his truck. He was completely unprepared for camping out tonight and definitely not prepared enough for a werewolf attack. Ah well, it wasn’t like he had eyes on his target anymore anyway. Swing by the house, get his gear, catch that motherfucker red handed.

 

There he was, a grown ass man about to go chasing fairytales through the woods.

 

No. No there wasn’t any time to think about that right now. Right now his first concern was making sure his town and his friends were safe.

 

When he arrived home, Betsy was on him immediately. “Hey there, tough girl.” 

 

Robert considered bringing her along, but shook his head. If he was going down this road, he’d best go it alone. Mary and Damien would find someone to take care of her for him.

 

He burst into his office, opening the appropriate drawer on the side of his desk… shit. He never did get those silver bullets. Or a gun... 

 

Alright new plan, Robert. 

 

He rummaged through the drawer, producing a ziplock bag full of dried out blue flowers. Wolfsbane. He sighed and stuffed the baggie into his pocket. It would have to do. Even if all it did was weaken the thing, he could at least get it with his pocket knife, the ever-present comforting weight in his jacket.

 

One final touch. A necklace at the bottom of the drawer, a tiny pure silver medallion with a cross etched into it, slipped over his head, the metal cool against his skin. Hopefully it worked like it was supposed to.

 

Gathering up the necessary camping supplies, namely a sleeping bag and whatever unopened can of semi-edible food product he could find, Robert threw everything into his truck and set out to catch his monster.

 

\--

 

Robert pulled into the parking lot of some of Maple Bay’s finest hiking trails that lead deep into the dense forest surrounding the town. Perfect for a werewolf on the prowl. The moon was almost at its peak. Great. This was about to get a lot harder.

 

He slung his backpack of supplies over his back, slid his cell phone in his back pocket, and took off down the trails.

 

The trees in front of him stretched impossibly tall into the sky, blocking out more and more moonlight the further down the path he went. Spooky. He pulled out his trusty flashlight, sweeping the dim light over the brush that skirted both sides of the trail. 

 

He walked for what felt like hours, but was probably only a couple minutes. His body really wasn’t anything like it used to be, but he’d be damned if that deterred him.

 

A wolf’s howl cut through the eerie silence.

 

Close.

 

It was so goddamn close.

 

He persisted. There was little movement on either side of him, and after a while, he started wondering if he’d missed it. Or maybe the truth Robert… had it ever really existed at all? 

 

It did. Something was out there.

 

A rustling in the trees was the thing that brought his attention back. Something far enough out of the light of his flashlight must have crossed the path. He slowed down in an attempt to make his footsteps quieter as he held his breath, waiting to see if he could tell where the thing was coming from.

 

Rustling on the left side of the trail. Whatever it was, it was getting closer.

 

Robert saw something dart across the path only a few meters ahead of him. His skin crawled. He flicked his flashlight to follow its movement, but only caught a flash of fur as the thing disappeared into the bushes again.

 

His blood went cold. Was that a bear?

 

Too big to have been a bear. Not that he had ever seen one personally, but he had a pretty good idea of how big a bear should be. That was too big. Too big and too svelte. The rustling started again, this time behind him. 

 

God.. was it circling him? It could have been the wolf, but damn that meant this thing was big.

 

Fear curled in his chest as the thing finally charged at him from its hiding spot. In the light he only saw an angry snapping mouth and glowing eyes. Not a ghost. Definitely real. He was frozen. Everything he had been preparing to do when he finally found this thing left him all at once. What was he supposed to do?

 

Robert did what he did best. He ran.

 

His heart pounded in his ears, threatening to push itself out of his throat as he sprinted away. He lost track of the path at one point, throwing himself into the brush of the forest and only barely missing getting his eyes scratched out by tree branches.

 

And then his foot hit nothing, and Robert felt himself fall. A steep drop came out of nowhere and he tumbled down the hill, his body catching every rock and branch on the way down. If the walk here had felt like hours, this felt like days. All at once it was over as Robert crashed into a tree trunk, effectively bringing him to a sudden stop.

 

Oh God he definitely was going to feel that in the morning.

 

As he lay there, bruised everywhere and with at least one broken bone, everything he spent the evening trying to run away from came flooding over him in a rush.

 

He had seen Val again. Not on purpose. Not in person. A post on a social media account he had long since given up on checking had given him the first glance of his daughter since the funeral. She was happy. Despite everything he had done to her, and failed to do for her, she was happy with a girlfriend. It was their anniversary.

 

He tried to keep her as far out of his mind as he could these days. It sounded horrible put like that, but seeing Val always stirred that feeling of disgust in himself. Hatred. He was a fucking failure at everything. Couldn’t manage to be a half-decent father let alone be Val’s only parent. Was it any fucking wonder she never tried to reach out anymore? 

 

Now here he was, an old man chasing shadows in the woods and getting himself hurt. A real fucking winner. God he was pathetic.

 

A buzzing coming from his pocket pulled him out of his revive. His phone was ringing.

 

Each movement sent a new wave of pain shooting through his body. By the time he pulled it out the call had disconnected. His screen was busted to shit. One missed call from Mary accompanied by a really nasty voicemail. Damn if she wasn’t good at putting the fear of god into him. 

 

As he contemplated calling her back and begging for her forgiveness, his phone rang again. This time it was the only other person in the world who knew he was out here.

 

“Damien,” his voice was shaky. Breathing was kind of hard right now.

 

“Where are you.” Not a question. 

 

Robert heard rustling on the other end. He was getting up out of bed. No, god he didn’t have to do that. “I’m fine--”

 

“You are not.” More shuffling and Damien said, “I’m coming to find you whether you want me to or not. Do you need me to bring Mary?”

 

Robert was quiet for a moment, then heaved a sigh, “no, no let Mary sleep. She’s got some fucking church thing in the morning. Tell her… tell her I’m fine.”

 

“She won’t believe that.”

 

“Fine then-- then just tell her to get some goddamn sleep and I’ll make it up to her.”

 

“Stay right where you are. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

 

“Oh don’t worry. I don’t think I’m going anywhere.” Robert tried to laugh, but hissed in pain. Alright, noted, no more laughing.

 

It really didn’t take Damien that long to find him, but then Robert figured he was probably really fucking predictable. He heard his name being called faintly at first, and louder as Damien got closer on the path.

 

“I’m here!” It took everything he had. He winced. His head was starting to pound and the yelling didn’t help. “I’m down here.”

 

He heard the breaking of branches. A blinding light swept over him as Damien stood at the top of the slope looking down at him.

 

“Robert! Oh-- oh my god.” Damien’s face went pale-- eh. Paler.

 

“I think I have a concussion.” Robert wheezed, “and also several broken ribs.”

 

“Oh god.”

 

“Yeah. You said that.”

 

It took some doing, but Damien was able to get Robert up the hill and back on the trail. It took them a lot longer to get back to the parking lot. He was starting to fade in and out of consciousness, and Damien constantly had to stop, wake him up, and help him get back on his feet.

 

Then finally, the trees started to thin out and Robert caught the first glimpse of the parking lot. His truck was still parked where he left it, but now a long, sleek, black car was parked beside it.

 

“You drive a hearse?”

 

“Rarely.” Damien shifted his position so he could unlock the doors and open the passenger-side door. “I only bring her out on special occasions.”

 

Damien helped Robert get into the passenger’s seat as best as he could, and leaned over him to click on his seatbelt. Robert could see red splotches on Damien’s side. “You’re covered in blood?”

 

“Your blood.” Damien said. “You have a first aid kit in your truck, correct?”

 

“Yeah. Under the passenger seat.”

 

Damien retrieved the keys from Robert’s pocket and disappeared momentarily. He came back with the small box and opened it on Robert’s lap, grabbing the man’s chin as he used a wipe to get as much of the blood off of his lips, cheeks, and forehead as he could.

 

He grimaced as he dressed the forehead wound, “you may need stitches.”

 

“Great! I was only one injury stamp away from getting a free gurney.” Robert winced as Damien pressed the antiseptic soaked bandage to his forehead. 

 

When he was satisfied enough, Damien backed the hearse out of the parking lot back to Maple Bay.

 

Taking notice of Robert’s head starting to slump forward, “if it really is a concussion you’re suffering from, then you need to stay awake until we get to the hospital.”

 

Easier said than done.

 

After a moment of silence, Damien spoke up again. “What were you doing out there, Robert? Really.”

 

“I saw her again.”

 

“Who... ah! Your dau--”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Oh...”

 

“We were really young when we had Val,” Robert stared into the middle distance, already miles away from where he was. “Barely adults with so many problems we tried not to care about. Or maybe that was just me. Marilyn wanted to sober up. Didn’t want our kid to be born fucked up for a temporary high. She got herself clean. I never did. I’m stupid and selfish and I just destroy everything and everyone around me.”

 

He hated talking to people like this. Hated opening up. It made him feel weak. But god he just needed to get it out there. Needed to put all out in the open so he could take a good long look at it.

 

Or it could have been the head injury. Yeah, that was a possibility.

 

“Robert you can’t really think that’s true.” Damien said, more matter of factly than anything else.

 

“Why can’t I? What have I ever done for anyone? What’s ever meant anything?” Robert felt himself starting to fade out again.

 

“Robert. Robert, keep talking to me!” His hand was on Robert’s shoulder, gently shaking the man to keep him conscious. It didn’t work though, and Robert finally succumbed to the sleepy pain-addled state of his mind.

 

\--

 

His injuries were attended to (a concussion, three broken ribs, six stitches, and a hell of a lot of bruises) and when he was finally given the all clear, Damien was still sitting there in the waiting room. He clutched a cup of coffee, or some equivalent, in his hands.

 

“Don’t you have a kid that needs you?”

 

“Lucien will be fine for the morning. Besides, someone needs to take you home and I don’t think you want to deal with Mary right now.”

 

A chill shot down Robert’s spine, “she’s not here is she?”

 

“No. She has words for you. None of them good, I’d imagine.”

 

Oh god. That was going to be the worst part of this whole shitty experience.

 

They drove back to the cul de sac in silence. Robert felt the awkward and uncomfortable tension in the air, but couldn’t bring himself to do anything about it. He was being too much of an inconvenience. Damien hated him now. He had to.

 

When the hearse pulled up in front of Robert’s house, the man pointedly did not look at Damien as he muttered, “thanks,” and swiftly exited the vehicle.

 

The window of the hearse rolled down behind him. “You’re wrong you know.”

 

“About what?” Robert could only just barely remember what they had been talking about before he passed out. He wanted to blame the trauma, but he was mostly just trying to push it out of his memory. Forget it even happened.

 

“You’ve done plenty.” Damien said, determined and sincere. “For what it’s worth, I quite enjoy our friendship and I quite enjoy being around you. My life, at least, is better for having known you.”

 

He didn’t say anything. Couldn’t think of a single way to reply to that.

 

“Get inside. Call me if you need anything. I’m always here for you, Robert. In whatever capacity you may need.”

 

Robert watched him go, pulling off down the road to his old Victorian at the end of the cul de sac. He wasn’t sure what to make of that, and wasn’t sure if he fully believed it either. But still, there was something there. Some small part of him was actually happy?

 

Imagine that.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays! Hope you enjoyed
> 
> Title is from Waving Through A Window from Dear Evan Hansen


End file.
